The Secret Service is providing Kimberly Cheatle, its former director who resigned last month, a security detail in an unprecedented effort to protect a former agency chief amid lingering national anger about the myriad security lapses under her watch that led to the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump and the killing of firefighter Corey Comperatore, according to three sources in the Secret Service community.
Cheatle has faced an ongoing firestorm of fury from Americans citizens, and even rank-and-file Secret Service special agents and officers, over the agency’s failures that created an opening for shooter Thomas Crooks to open fire on Trump, piercing his ear and killing Comperatore in front of his family and wounding two other rally-goers.
At least for now, the Service Service is providing the protection out of the Dignitary Protective Division, which secures foreign leaders when they visit the White House and other areas in D.C. and also protects lower-profile cabinet officials, according to these sources. Using DPD, instead of the Washington Field Office, could be a way to keep the knowledge of Cheatle’s protection to a more limited number of agents or it could simply be a manpower issue.
President Biden ordered the taxpayer-funded protection for Cheatle, these sources say, because she was facing numerous threats, especially on social media from individuals angered by the agency’s failures on July 13 and her lack of transparency during her testimony to the House Oversight Committee July 22.
The Bidens are close to Cheatle from her time protecting Biden on the vice presidential detail. First lady Jill Biden helped select her for the director role in 2022, the New York Post first reported and sources in the Secret Service community confirmed to RCP.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/08/16/biden_ordered_secret_service_protection_for_former_agency_chief__151463.html